For over 10 years, The Carrot Project has worked with farm and food businesses in New England and the Hudson Valley, supporting their successes by helping them build the financial management skills to help their businesses thrive.

Maine Loan Program

The Maine Farm Business Loan Fund is a collaboration between Maine’s Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) — a statewide, non-profit community development financial institution — and The Carrot Project. The fund was established to meet the financing needs of small and midsized farm and food enterprises that use sustainable practices and serve local and regional markets in this growing sector of Maine’s economy. Enterprises may apply for loans of up to $50,000; supplemental amounts for larger projects may be available through other CEI loan programs.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

To be considered for a loan, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

annual gross revenue of $499,999 or less

ownership or lease of the farmed property by the applicant; leases should be in effect for at least the loan payment period

applicant is a farm, forestry or fishery enterprise, or a food processing, distribution or storage enterprises. ﻿

To apply or learn about sustainable agriculture at CEI, Inc. contact Gray Harris at 207.882.7552 or Learn More.